>> Marc Jacobs May Be Married, Appearing on Reality TV Show; Louis Vuitton to Live Stream Show —Marc Jacobs and fiance Lorenzo Martone were planning on getting married in a very quiet ceremony at the end of August, but there was never any official confirmation. It appears that it happened, though: Style.com's Derek Blasberg Tweeted a few days ago: "Going for a drink at the new Mrs. Martone-Jacobs' apartment, then OUT. The wife's away this weekend." While we're on hearsay surrounding Jacobs, he has expressed interest in doing a reality TV show in the past and is rumored to be participating in an upcoming reality show dubbed Kept, pitched as a gay version of The Real Housewives franchise. One fact to counteract all the rumors? His Spring 2010 Louis Vuitton show will stream live Wednesday at 2:30 PM Paris time from the brand's Facebook page. [@dizzyblazeberg, The Cut, Vogue UK]
Nicolas Ghesquière
Balenciaga Aims to Go Thorougly Modern for Spring 2010
>> For the second season in a row, Balenciaga showed at the Hotel Crillon — word is residents forced them to move from their previous location — and Nicolas Ghesquiere took his eye "back to the start again," as the show's soundtrack went, returning to his sporty, skinny pants roots. The leggings, vests, and dresses were collages of contrasting materials — "like toys," the designer noted — and his goal was to create an entirely modern collection, sans references to the past.
In his effort to think differently, Ghesquiere told the Wall Street Journal, he mused: “There are cocktail dresses everywhere. I am asking, who are these women who go to cocktails all the time?’’ He also had his runway shoe samples made it a number of different sizes (39-41) rather than the standard 39, to help prevent runway stumbles.
Anouck Lepere and Lily Cole were both front row this morning, but the big model surprise was Victoria's Secret Angel Miranda Kerr, who some see as Balenciaga's answer to Givenchy casting Adriana Lima last season.
Diane von Furstenberg Settles After Copying; Nicolas Ghesquiere Accused of Copying Cruise 2010 Jacket
>> American designers, under the lead of CFDA President Diane von Furstenberg, are currently pushing for copyright inclusion under the Design Piracy Prohibition Act, but a few recent occurrences may hurt their case.
Just last week, Diane von Furstenberg settled out of court for an undisclosed sum with the Canadian designers of Mercy, who accused DVF of copying their jacket (photo comparison here), which in Diane's version appeared on the March 2009 cover of Elle. When notified, Diane apologized almost immediately, as has since ceased from using the copied design: “While this is an isolated incident for DVF, it is unfortunate that way too many others intentionally build businesses by stealing the work of other designers."
It's doubtful that Diane was talking about Nicolas Ghesquiere at Balenciaga, but some questions are now being raised about a leather jacket from his recent Cruise 2010 collection, especially because he has admitted to copying a garment in the past that appeared in his Spring 2002 Balenciaga collection. The current item of contention is strikingly similar to the "Parrot" jacket by San Francisco-based East West Musical Instruments — picture comparison above — which operated in the '60s through the '80s and sold to Iggy Pop, Janis Joplin, and the like. It's no secret that designers mine vintage pieces for inspiration, and Nicolas is not an American designer, but two examples in such quick succession can't be helping the Design Piracy Prohibition Act fight.
Full Video: Anna Wintour on 60 Minutes, Plus Outtakes
>> The months-in-the-making 60 Minutes profile of Anna Wintour finally aired last night, and besides the tired Devil Wears Prada and unauthorized biography references, a snarky Morley Safer provided a candid look at "Darth Vader in a frock" — except for the instances when she purposely evaded his question. He even asked her if she thinks of herself as a b*tch: "I hope I'm not . . . I try not to be, but I like people who represent the best of what they do and if that turns you into a perfectionist than maybe I am."
She laughs when asked if it's true that Vogue staffers are not allowed to speak to her on the elevator:
Oh yeah, I heard that, you're not allowed to get in the elevator with me. That's a complete exaggeration. I guess in response I can only say that I've have so many people here that have worked with me fifteen, twenty years, and if I'm such a b*tch they must really be a glutton for punishment because they're still here.
She credits part of her success to her failures elsewhere: "I wasn't academically successful and maybe I've spent a lot of my career trying to make up for that." But she's still the Anna whose daily hair and makeup bill, plus a rumored $200,000 annual clothing allowance, is all picked up by Conde Nast — and her view of "reasonable" clothing prices reflects that. She visits Alexander Wang's showroom for a runthrough, and as a silver sequined minidress passes by, she asks Alexander how much it is. "This one retails for $1,200." Her reply? With a little smile: "It's very reasonable."
But designers can irritate her: "If you see a collection that you feel the designer has been lazy or is taking inspiration from other designers, it doesn't as much as bore me as anger me."
Even Andre Leon Talley, one of those figures who have been at Vogue for years, feels the Wintour chill:
It's not like a tea party here, we work very hard. Let's say that Anna can be intimidating, I think that's her armor, to intimidate, to give people a sense that she's in charge. She is not a person who's going to show you her emotions ever. She's like a doctor. When she's looking at your work, it's like a medical analysis. Some of us can't cope with that . . . we need to be loved.
But it's something to get used to — if Anna has any say, she'll be sticking around a while longer. "To me, this is a very interesting time to be in this position, and I think it would be, in a way, irresponsible not to put my best foot forward and lead us into a different time." Morley prods, asking her if when the time comes, she'll go quietly? She smiles. "Certainly, very quietly."
>> INSIDER WIRE —Is Nicholas Ghesquiere feeling the pinch of Balmania? Until this season when he switched to Hotel Crillon, he always showed in the Balenciaga studio — some suggested the move was prompted by Balmain's move to the Ritz. His decision to go '80s (albeit '80s Yves Saint Laurent) for Fall 2009 has some responding, "Looks like the Balmain has made all the French directionals nervous, no?" And perhaps the icing on the cake, his declaration backstage that “High tech is over. And the clubbing," which could be construed as a dig at Balmain's club-centric aesthetic . . . no wonder if Nicolas is sweating a bit, considering all the hoopla at Balmain today.
A Softer Side of Balenciaga for Fall 2009
>> Fall 2009 has turned out to be the season of new for Nicolas Ghesquiere and Balenciaga: new show location, new softness, new openness to models of color. Instead of showing at the brand's headquarters on the Left Bank as usual, Ghesquiere took the show to Hotel Crillon, with its gold and cream atmosphere and the models walking through French doors. The official blame for the move goes to neighbors around the HQ, who apparently didn't like the loud soundtrack, but some wondered if it wasn't prompted by Balmain's move to the Ritz this season — a little venue rivalry?
Nonetheless, the typically whitewashed Balenciaga runway felt a little influx of models of color this season; Liya Kebede opened, and Chanel Iman walked, her first time for the label — last time a model of color walked, as far as I can tell, was Fall 2006 — Liya Kebede. Newcomers Johanna Kneppers and twin Gwen Loos made their first runway appearances. As for the clothes, Ghesquiere took away the recent robo-chic, instead experimenting with draping and satin — two techniques he admitted he'd never really worked with before. The result is garnering '80s Yves Saint Laurent and Dynasty comparisons, and perhaps a little uncertainty, but there's definitely a future for the high-slit, splotchy-printed dresses — Francois-Henri Pinault thought so, he was there with new wife Salma Hayek in the front row.
*image: source, source
First Look: Anna Wintour in The September Issue
>> The September Issue, RJ Cutler's documentary film about the making of the September 2007 issue of Vogue, doesn't premiere until this weekend at Sundance — Anna Wintour's attending in support — but a first look is available below, with Anna grilling two editors on whether pink is the most appropriate message for September. Cutler filmed in the Vogue offices for eight months, coming away with 300 hours of footage, and even though the project was Anna-approved, he didn't always feel welcome.
Apparently, creative director Grace Coddington wasn't a fan of Cutler — "The first thing she said to me was go away . . . She couldn’t throw us out of the building because she’s not the boss. Anna’s the boss and she had invited us in. But she was unhappy to see us. And when Grace is unhappy to see you, that’s not the place anyone wants to be. God bless her, she [eventually] gave us a chance." Daughter Bee Shaffer, plus plenty of designers — Karl Lagerfeld, Thakoon Panichgul, Nicolas Ghesquiere — all make appearances, and there's even an especially timely moment where Wintour ponders the end of her career.
ACE Awards Go Green for Stella McCartney
>> At last night's annual Accessories Council ACE Awards, Nicholas Ghesquiere may have been awarded Designer of the Year, Sally Singer the Marylou Luther Award for Fashion Journalism, and Tamara Mellon's Jimmy Choo the Brand of the Year, but Stella McCartney was awarded the most special treatment.
The designer, who was flanked by Helena Christensen, Coco Rocha, and Dean Koons and anointed with a new award, Green Designer of the Year, had her table completely set with salads while everyone else had "a decadent lobster plate." And out of respect for her vegan views, even her award — a Judith Leiber miaundiere — was made green, with a black hemp lining in leather's stead and no stainless steel plating. Such attention to detail kept Stella in a high mood — she joked as she accepted her award, "Little did I know that my award would be second to last and I would need to use the ladies' room after putting on my unitard outfit. But that's life!"
*image: source, source
>> ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL —Nicolas Ghesquiere was reportedly in New York this past weekend meeting with models to determine the Balenciaga Spring 2009 multi-girl campaign cast, which promises girls "who barely set foot on anyone's runway this season as well as girls who are riding all those expected covers." A commenter chimes in, adding that Prada, which is also a multi-girl campaign this upcoming season, "will be very blonde and European." [TI]
*image: source
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